Our Sports Reporter
GUWAHATI: The Assam Amateur Boxing Association (AABA) felicitated star boxer Lovlina Borgohain for her medal-winning performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games at a function here today. Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Biswajit Daimary attended the programme as the chief guest.
Lovlina, competed in the 75-kg weight category, finished runner-up in the Commonwealth Games to claim a silver medal. With this achievement, she has now won medals at all four major international competitions of her career—the Olympic Games, Asian Games, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Addressing the gathering, Lovlina said, “This was my third appearance at the Commonwealth Games, and I am extremely happy to finally win a medal, something I had been desperately seeking. I had been waiting for this day. Now I can make a cupboard and keep all my medals there, as this medal completes the list of medals I had planned to win in my career.”
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Biswajit Daimary announced that the Assam government would award Lovlina Rs 30 lakh in recognition of her medal-winning performance. He also said that the government had earmarked in the budget Rs 12 lakh annually to support Lovlina’s academy.
Daimary also said the government was committed to extending all possible support to state sports associations to promote sports across Assam. “We have decided to upgrade practice grounds in various districts of the state so that players can train throughout the year,” he said.
As part of its efforts to promote sports in the state, the Board of Sports, Assam also signed three Memorandams of Understanding (MoUs) with the Assam Amateur Boxing Association and the Assam Football Association.
Under the MoUs, the indoor stadium at Rani will be handed over to the Assam Amateur Boxing Association for setting up a boxing academy while the football ground at the same venue will be handed over to the Assam Football Association to establish a football academy. The Assam Football Association has also been allotted Dhakuakha Mini Stadium for setting up another football academy.
Director of Sports and Youth Welfare Ankur Bharali signed the MoUs on behalf of the Board of Sports, Assam, while Hemanta Kumar Kalita and Sangrang Brahma signed on behalf of the Assam Amateur Boxing Association and the Assam Football Association, respectively.
Among those present at the function were Deputy Secretary of Sports and Youth Welfare Ranbir Bora, Assam Olympic Association secretary Lakhya Konwar, and Assam Amateur Boxing Association president Siddhartha Bhattacharya and secretary-general Hemanta Kalita.
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